Real Madrid suffered countless issues last season, both due to injury and COVID-19, losing important players for key games.
Opportunity for Eder Militao
Yet that gave the opportunity to Eder Militao to step in and show what he could do, which he grasped with both hands. Zinedine Zidane was hesitant to use the Brazilian throughout his time but, when he was his last option, Militao excelled against the likes of Liverpool in the Champions League and Barcelona in LaLiga Santander.
Now, the former Porto defender has emerged as a potentially key player for Los Blancos, with Sergio Ramos departing and Raphael Varane’s future up in the air. He has also carried that form to the national team, where coach Tite now starts him alongside PSG’s Marquinhos, who also praised the 23-year-old for his performances. Eder is really comfortable here,” the PSG man said. We talk a lot and I try to convey as much as possible to him so that he feels good, and he is feeling more and more comfortable.”
Militao was unstoppable for Real Madrid last season
Last season with Real Madrid, Militao played 21 games (1,730 minutes), scoring two goals and giving one assist. Furthermore, he committed only 19 fouls, an average of less than one foul per game, and also made 703 passes. As for the national team, the young defender has played three games in this Copa America, with two fouls committed and one goal scored, against Ecuador, his first goal for his country. He’s the third-most effective passer on Tite’s team, with 175 completed, just behind Marquinhos and Fred.
Another teammate who highly praised Militao was Thiago Silva, who won the Champions League this season with Chelsea and has long been one of Brazil’s best defenders. I believe that, from now, with Sergio Ramos leaving, Brazilian will be one of the pillars of Real Madrid,” Thiago Silva said in a press conference on Wednesday.